BBC ON THIS DAY | 24 | 1989: Exxon Valdez creates oil slick disaster About This Site | Text Only 1989: Exxon Valdez creates oil slick disaster An oil tanker has run aground on a reef off the Alaskan coast, releasing gallons of crude oil into the sea. The Exxon Valdez got into trouble in Prince William Sound when it hit Bligh Reef, splitting its side open and releasing oil, with reports of an eight-mile (12.8km) slick. High winds are affecting attempts to suck the slick from the sea's surface and residents have reported poor air quality as emergency crews try to burn off the top layer of oil. Booms, which are acting like necklaces on the surface of the sea to contain the oil, are failing to do the job. Environmentalists are also battling to save sea ducks, which number up to 10 million in the area. Ducks and seals have been discovered drenched in oil near the tanker. The Coast Guard is dropping chemicals in an attempt to break up the slick but local officials say Exxon is responding too slowly.

The clean-up is not proceeding well Exxon Shipping president, Frank Iarossi Exxon Shipping president Frank Iarossi said: "The clean-up is not proceeding well. Believe me, that is an understatement. We have a mess on our hands." Mr Iarossi said the oil tanker was a mile off course although its navigational systems were working. It had encountered icebergs in the shipping lanes and Captain Joe Hazelwood ordered his helmsman to take the Valdez out of the lanes to go around the icebergs. The crew failed to make the turn back into the shipping lanes and the ship ran aground at 1204 local time. Cpt Hazelwood was in his quarters at the time. A spokesman for the Alaska department of environment said efforts to steer the Valdez back into the narrow shipping lane was like "trying to park a Cadillac in a Volkswagen spot". Businessmen are afraid the oil slick will affect tourism in the area, famous for whale-watching boat trips.

Remembering The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, 25 Years Later | The Huffington Post Remembering The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, 25 Years Later 03/24/2014 10:56 am ET 630 James Gerken Green Editor, The Huffington Post March 24, 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. The Exxon Valdez oil spill began when a 987-foot-long oil tanker ran aground on a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The spill stood as the worst in U.S. history until BP's Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The Exxon Valdez released an estimated 10.8 million gallons of crude oil before the spill was contained, fouling about 1,300 miles of coastline. The remote location of the spill and a delayed and inadequate response from Exxon and Trans-Alaska Pipeline operator Alyeska made matters even worse.

A recent federal report showed that sea otters have recovered to their pre-spill numbers in the most affected areas, but many serious impacts from the 1989 spill still linger even a quarter century later. In fact, small amounts of oil are still visible on beaches in the Gulf of Alaska . The images below reveal the dramatic effects of the spill and its enormous toll on the wildlife, landscape and people of southern Alaska. CHRIS WILKINS/AFP/Getty Images An oil skimming operation works in a heavy oil slick near Latouche Island in the southwest end of Prince William Sound on April 1, 1989. CHRIS WILKINS/AFP/Getty Images Three tugboats (R) push the oil tanker Exxon San Francisco (C) into place beside the crippled tanker Exxon Valdez (L) in Prince William Sound on March 30, 1989 to begin off-loading the remainder of crude oil in Valdez. John Gaps III/AP Thick crude oil washed that up on the cobble beach of Evans Island sticks to the boots and pants of a local fisherman in Prince William Sound, Alaska on April 11, 1989.

(John Gaps III/AP) CHRIS WILKINS/AFP/Getty Images An oil cleanup worker walks through the oily surf at Naked Island on Prince William Sound on April 2, 1989 as beach cleanup goes on in background. Spill workers, one wearing a respirator, hose beach during a Corexit application test on Quayle Beach, Smith lsland (Prince William Sound). (Photo courtesy of Alaska Resources Library & Information Services ) Bob Hallinen/Anchorage Daily News/MCT A dead sea otter coated with crude oil from the Exxon Valdez oil spill was found on the beach of Green Island in Prince William Sound, Alaska on April 2, 1989. (Bob Hallinen/Anchorage Daily News/MCT) CHRIS WILKINS/AFP/Getty Images Fishermen Greg Will (L) and Matt Kinney, both of Valdez, stand in protest outside an Exxon news conference room which was closed to local residents on April 2, 1989. Oily rocks glisten in the sun on Green lsland (Prince William Sound).

This section of beach, which was signed off as being environmentally stable by both Exxon and the Coast Guard, was re-oiled July 4, 1989. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Resources Library & Information Services ) CHRIS WILKINS/AFP/Getty Images One baby and five adult oil-soaked sea otters lie dead on Green Island beach on April 3, 1989 in Prince William Sound. CHRIS WILKINS/AFP/Getty Images Cleanup workers scrub large rocks on the oil-covered beach of Naked Island in Prince William Sound on April 2, 1989. (Photos continue in the slideshow below.) Remembering The Exxon Valdez Spill Remembering The Exxon Valdez Spill 1 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1989) - The New York Times The New York Times Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1989) | Search Supported by Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1989) News about Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1989), including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times. More Updated: Aug.

3, 2010 In March 1989, the Exxon Valdez supertanker ran aground on Bligh Reef, ruptured and spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound. The spill was the worst that had occured up to that point in American history, damaging more than 1,300 miles of shoreline, disrupting the lives and livelihoods of people in the region and killing hundreds of thousands of birds and marine animals. It occurred after the ship's captain, Joseph J. Hazelwood, left the bridge at a crucial moment. Mr. Hazelwood, an alcoholic, had downed five double vodkas on the night of the disaster, according to witnesses. The spill stopped after just a few days but the recovery may not have an end date. The damage to the fishing industry and to native subsistence hunting has lasted for years. Exxon originally was ordered by a federal court to pay $5 billion in punitive damages in 1994. A federal appeal in 2006 reduced it to $2.5 billion. In 2008 the United States Supreme Court further reduced the damages to just over $500 million.

More than $2 billion has been spent on cleanup and recovery. Exxon has paid at least $1 billion in damages. The accident helped to create a new industry around environmental groups, scientific organizations, experts in the psychological trauma of oil spills. A network of fishermen is now trained and paid by the oil industry to respond to future disasters. 25 Years After Spill, Alaska Town Struggles Back From 'Dead Zone' : NPR 25 Years After Spill, Alaska Town Struggles Back From 'Dead Zone' Embed Embed 25 Years After Spill, Alaska Town Struggles Back From 'Dead Zone' 25 Years After Spill, Alaska Town Struggles Back From 'Dead Zone' Embed Embed Orca Inlet, Cordova's fishing harbor, on a blustery day this month. Commercial fishing is the small Alaskan town's primary industry. Marisa Peñaloza/NPR hide caption toggle caption Marisa Peñaloza/NPR Orca Inlet, Cordova's fishing harbor, on a blustery day this month. Commercial fishing is the small Alaskan town's primary industry.

Marisa Peñaloza/NPR On March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil into the pristine water. At the time, it was the single biggest spill in U.S. history. In a series of stories, NPR is examining the lasting social and economic impacts of the disaster, as well as the policy, regulation and scientific research that came out of it. It's a blustery, snowy March day when Michelle Hahn O'Leary offers a tour of Cordova, Alaska, situated on the eastern shore of Prince William Sound. Starting at the fishing harbor on Orca Inlet, she passes a row of canneries. Commercial fishing is the lifeblood of this town of 2,200. 'We're Leaking Some Oil' An excerpt from Exxon Valdez Capt. Joseph Hazelwood's radio call to the U.S. Coast Guard after striking Bligh Reef. O'Leary and her late husband were preparing for the spring herring season in March 1989, when the giant oil tanker Exxon Valdez took a very wrong turn.

The ship ran aground on Bligh Reef in the early morning hours of March 24, leaking oil into the sound's frigid waters. When the ship's captain, Joseph Hazelwood, made a call to the Coast Guard just after midnight, he said the ship was "evidently leaking some oil." The ruptured tanker subsequently oozed 11 million gallons of crude into Prince William Sound. "It just felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach," says O'Leary. "This was one of those turning points in life, where you measure things before and after." O'Leary hasn't fished since. Native Alaskan Tom Andersen, once a commercial fisherman, no longer makes his living from the sea, either. "You can't fix it. Once you break that egg, sometimes that's it," he says. Article continues after sponsorship Andersen, 71, says the waters here have sustained his people, the Chugach, for generations. He now picks up odd construction jobs hanging drywall. A whole way of living has changed, he says, making a wiping motion with his arm. "You pretty much lived there — you got your clams and crabs and fish," he says.

"And then somebody come and dumped oil all over it, you know? That's really hitting home." Hide caption A cleanup worker lifts an oar near a boom in Prince William Sound, Alaska, after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in March 1989. Previous View slideshow 'The Dead Zone' Because the oil company and government agencies were ill-prepared to respond, oil from the Exxon Valdez stretched for 11,000 square miles. It fouled beaches, destroyed fisheries and killed hundreds of thousands of birds and all kinds of sea life, including whales and sea otters. Exxon eventually set up a voluntary program to compensate oil spill victims, and hired local fishermen for the cleanup – including Andersen, who worked a sea otter rescue crew. "You could smell [the oil] before you ever saw it," he recalls. Prince William Sound, he says, was silenced. "There was no fish, no birds chasing fish. You could sit there and it'd just be dead quiet. So everybody called it the dead zone." David Janka uses his boat for private charters. Many of his clients are scientists studying the spill's impact.

Debbie Elliott/NPR hide caption toggle caption Debbie Elliott/NPR David Janka uses his boat for private charters. Many of his clients are scientists studying the spill's impact. Debbie Elliott/NPR The disaster upended life in Cordova for years. Fishermen were docked. Businesses went bankrupt. Drug and alcohol abuse went up, along with reports of domestic violence and depression. The mayor committed suicide. Those paid by Exxon to work the cleanup were jealously labeled "spillionaires." This once close-knit community changed, says Patience Andersen Faulkner, Andersen's sister. "You couldn't look at your neighbor to help you. You didn't trust your neighbor, you didn't trust your brother. It was very, very sad." Faulkner is now part of a citizens' advisory council put in place to monitor the recovery and readiness for potential future oil spills. The panel is still tracking lingering oil from the Exxon Valdez. Dave Janka captains the Auklet, a 58-foot wooden boat he uses for private charters. Most of his clients are scientists studying the oil spill's impact. Along the way, Janka has collected his own samples.

He opens a jar labeled "February 19, 2014." Janka collected the dark black oily-water mixture from Eleanor Island in Prince William Sound, digging down about 6 inches beneath the rocky shoreline. It smells like your hand after pumping gas at a service station. "Looks like oil, smells like oil. It's oil," Janka says. "If you or I, in our backyard or at our mom and pop gas station, had a fuel tank leak, we would be held to the point of bankruptcy to clean that up." Patience Andersen Faulkner says the disaster changed the town. "You didn't trust your neighbor, you didn't trust your brother. It was very, very sad." Debbie Elliott/NPR hide caption toggle caption Debbie Elliott/NPR Patience Andersen Faulkner says the disaster changed the town. "You didn't trust your neighbor, you didn't trust your brother. It was very, very sad." Debbie Elliott/NPR 'I'll Never Get Over It' Exxon, now Exxon Mobil Corp., spent a total of $4.3 billion in cleanup costs, legal damages, settlements and fines. Exxon Mobil spokesman Richard Keil says the company regrets that the incident took place.

"Without doubt, it was a tragic event. But it's something we have learned from, and we live those lessons each and every day." A class-action lawsuit wasn't resolved until 2008, when the U.S. Supreme Court slashed an initial jury award of $5 billion to $507 million, plus $470 million in interest. Jim Kallander, a fisherman and former mayor of Cordova, does not blame Exxon for mounting a defense. "We all need oil; accidents are going to happen," he says. But after 19 years of drawn-out litigation, he continues, the final Supreme Court verdict was the hardest blow. "Justice was not served," he says. "All my life, I'd been brought up to think that, you know, you get to the Supreme Court and everything is made right. People are made whole. Issues are corrected. And I'm still disappointed. I'll never get over it." Now, 25 years later, Kallander says the town of Cordova has nearly come full circle, even if the environmental recovery is incomplete. An orca pod in Prince William Sound is near extinction and the local herring fishery isn't back.

But the harbor is bustling again with a fishing fleet getting ready to harvest salmon, halibut and cod. Kallander's boat, the Miss Emily, is now part of a stand-by fleet ready to respond to oil spills. "We have to be fueled up, and watered up, and have groceries on board; be ready to go 24/7," he says. Back out at Orca Inlet, Michelle O'Leary warns that, even with the new readiness, the lesson from Exxon Valdez is that there's no way to put the oil back once it spills. "Right now, we've got one of the safest ports in the world, and we've got one of the best oil spill response plans," she says. "But the weather we're having today — nothing could be done, absolutely nothing." She's talking about the winds that are gusting to 60 miles an hour — winds that just canceled a planned oil spill response drill. Dispersants don't work in these conditions, O'Leary says, and the oil would be nearly impossible to contain. Here in Alaska, the best-laid plans are still at the mercy of Mother Nature.

The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: 25 Years Ago Today - The Atlantic The Atlantic 39 Photos In Focus On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez had just entered Alaska's Prince William Sound, after departing the Valdez Marine Terminal full of crude oil. At 12:04 am, the ship struck a reef, tearing open the hull and releasing 11 million gallons of oil into the environment. Initial responses by Exxon and the Alyeska Pipeline Company were insufficient to contain much of the spill, and a storm blew in soon after, spreading the oil widely. Eventually, more than 1,000 miles of coastline were fouled, and hundreds of thousands of animals perished. Exxon ended up paying billions in cleanup costs and fines, and remains tied up in court cases to this day. The captain, Joseph Hazelwood, was acquitted of being intoxicated while at the helm, but convicted on a misdemeanor charge of negligent discharge of oil, fined $50,000, and sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service.

Though the oil has mostly disappeared from view, many Alaskan beaches remain polluted to this day, crude oil buried just inches below the surface. Oil and Chemical Spills/Significant Incidents/Exxon Valdez Oil Spill From Board Games to Cookbooks, How the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Infiltrated Pop Culture The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill left a number of legacies: Legislative, ecological, and even cultural—yes, that extends to pop culture too. Take a look at five ways that this oil spill has shown up in places most oil spills just don't go. 25 Years Later: Timeline of Recovery from Exxon Valdez Oil Spill The Exxon Valdez oil spill injured 28 types of animals, plants, and marine habitats in Alaska's Prince William Sound. How long has it taken them to recover from this spill? Twenty-five years later, which ones have not yet recovered? Check out this infographic showing the timeline of recovery for marine life and habitats following the spill. 10 Photos That Tell the Story of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and its Impacts Few oil spills have made such a large or lasting impression as the Exxon Valdez spill on March 24, 1989.

Here we've gathered 10 photos that help tell the story of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and its impacts, not only on the environment but also on science, policy, spill response, school kids, and even board games. The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill While the Exxon Valdez spill was an unfortunate incident, it provided a necessary impetus to reexamine the state of oil spill prevention, response, and cleanup. It Took More Than the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill to Pass the Historic Oil Pollution Act of 1990 If you believe oil shouldn't just be spilled without consequence into the ocean, then you should be grateful for a very important U.S. law known as the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. It was passed 25 years ago, the summer after the Exxon Valdez oil spill rocked the nation, but a rash of other events would help emphasize just how much the United States needed this law. NOAA scientists have been studying the environment affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill for 25 years. During that time, they have found what a changing environment Alaskan shores naturally can be.

This fact, along with bigger changes at work in the world, has proven just how tough it can be to determine where the impacts from an oil spill begin and end. The Never-ending History of Life on a Rock What can a rock tell us about ecosystem recovery after the Exxon Valdez oil spill? Check out what a NOAA scientist learned after visiting the same rock for more than 20 years and the unexpected legacy for citizen science in Alaska. Mearns Rock: A Long-Term Study of Ecological Recovery In 1990, NOAA scientists began a long-term study of "Mearns Rock," a large boulder that was oiled but not cleaned during the Exxon Valdez oil spill, to examine how marine life recovers from oil spills. They have been photographing the boulder each year since. More Than Two Decades Later, Have Killer Whales Recovered from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill? Twenty-three years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, we take a look at the possible effects the oil has had on the killer whales of Prince William Sound, Alaska. In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill, we are taking the lessons we learned from killer whales down to the dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico.

Looking Back: What Led up to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill? The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred on March 24, 1989. Now, 25 years later, join us for a historical look at the series of events which set the stage for this monumental oil spill. We know the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled nearly 11 million gallons of oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989. But after this brush with infamy, what happened to this ship? Follow its story—and many name changes—from its birth in a San Diego shipyard to its end on a beach in India. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill | World History Project Mar 24 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill On March 24, 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil across 1,300 miles of coastline - a catastrophic event that lead to one of the most thorough examinations of the effects of oil on the environment.

While the vast majority of the spill area now appears to have recovered, pockets of crude oil remain in some locations, and there is evidence that some damage is continuing. Source: National Marine FIsheries Service Added by: Carla Friedman The final legacy of the Exxon Valdez oil spill is not a pristine ecosystem’s defilement, or the destruction of millions of animals. It’s the accumulation of scientific knowledge about oil in our environment. Contrary to the conventional wisdom of 1989, oil isn’t just a problem in a the immediate aftermath of a spill, when coastlines and wildlife are covered in a hideous, highly photogenic slick. It wreaks a subtle, long-term havoc, as toxic chemicals enter ecological cycles and take decades to break down. That’s not only true in Prince William Sound, but around the United States, where millions of gallons of oil spill every single year. "Most of the oil that runs off roads and parking lots doesn’t go into sewage treatment plants," said Mary Kelly, co-director of the Environmental Defense Fund’s land, water and wildlife program.

"It just runs off into waterways." Source: Brandon Keim, Wired Added by: Carla Friedman The recent $5 billion verdict against Exxon in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the Alaskan coast has renewed the barrage of media and public condemnation of punitive awards that are far too extravagant and raised the question of jury judiciousness. Such criticism, however, is unwarranted and it ignores the compelling facts of the Exxon case. To gain initial approval for the trans-Alaska pipeline, Exxon and its six oil company partners promised to use double-hulled tankers, to have pilots and escort tugs during the entire transit of Prince William Sound and to do all other things necessary to prevent a major spill in Prince William Sound. They also promised to have equipment on hand that would clean up a 200,000 barrel spill. But shortly after approval was granted, these promises were broken. The Exxon Valdez was single-hulled, the pilot got off shortly after entering Prince William Sound, there were no escort tugs and there was no capacity to clean up a spill one-tenth the size of the Exxon Valdez spill. This behavior put in jeopardy one of the last pristine environments in the world, Prince William Sound.

Source: Richard Gerry, San Diego Union-Tribune Added by: Carla Friedman The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled 10.8 to 32 million US gallons (40.9 to 120 million litres, or 260,000 to 750,000 barrels) of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters ever to occur in history. As significant as the Valdez spill was — the largest ever in U.S. waters until the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill — it ranks well down on the list of the world's largest oil spills in terms of volume released. However, Prince William Sound's remote location, accessible only by helicopter, plane and boat, made government and industry response efforts difficult and severely taxed existing plans for response. The region is a habitat for salmon, sea otters, seals and seabirds.

The oil, originally extracted at the Prudhoe Bay oil field, eventually covered 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of coastline, and 11,000 square miles (28,000 km2) of ocean. Exxon Valdez runs aground in Alaska - Mar 24, 1989 - HISTORY.com Exxon Valdez runs aground in Alaska Share this: Exxon Valdez runs aground in Alaska Author Exxon Valdez runs aground in Alaska URL Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker hits a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, resulting in an enormous oil spill. Though there were no human victims of the crash, hundreds of miles of pristine coastline became coated with oil and thousands of sea birds, mammals and fish perished in the disaster. The Valdez was delivered to Exxon in 1986 and named after the Alaskan port terminal where oil was sent out to the main 48 states. It was capable of carrying 200,000 tons of crude oil and was usually manned by a 20-person crew.

On the night of March 23, the ship left port in Valdez at about 9 p.m. Captain Joseph Hazelwood was in charge, but handed over the piloting of the ship to Third Mate Greg Cousins shortly into the journey. Just after midnight, there was a miscommunication on a change of course as the Valdez maneuvered its way through a narrow shipping lane between Bligh Reef and Busby Island in Prince William Sound. The Valdez ran aground on the reef, puncturing the ship’s hull and sending oil spilling into the sound. Unfortunately, the response to the spill was not ideal. There was a limited attempt to use dispersants by helicopter, but there was only a small supply of them available near the site. Also, some reports suggested that dispersants, chemicals applied to the oil to push it below the surface (where it causes the most damage), were ineffective. Booms and skimmers, equipment that prevents the spread of oil in water and manually removes oil from the water, were not available for use until a full day after the spill. Unfortunately, even after the booms and skimmers were finally brought into service, they often broke down and were thus also not completely effective.

Overall, the Valdez spilled close to 30 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound over several days. Beaches in the Knight Island chain were covered in oil. The primary victims of the oil were sea birds. Some estimate that as many as 250,000 of the birds were killed, as well as several thousand sea otters and hundreds of seals and bald eagles. Salmon and herring egg losses were also extensive. In total, about 800 miles of coastline were damaged by the oil. The Valdez accident led to a long series of lawsuits and legislative changes. Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which included a clause banning the Valdez from Alaska. A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, awarded millions of dollars in damages against Exxon to the affected Alaskan communities as well as a $5 billion punitive-damage award. On appeal, the 9th Circuit Court ruled that the judge had to reduce the award. When the judge reduced it only slightly, Exxon appealed again and even many years after the incident, the ultimate resolution was still in doubt. Captain Hazelwood was accused of being intoxicated at the time of the accident, but such allegations were never fully proven.

He was, however, convicted of negligence, fined and ordered to perform community service. After undergoing $30 million in repairs, the Valdez was renamed Sea River Mediterranean and returned to service, but is no longer used in Alaska. Related Videos Exxon Wants to Tow Valdez to San Diego - latimes Exxon Wants to Tow Valdez to San Diego June 13, 1989 |H.G. REZA | Times Staff Writer SAN DIEGO — Amid assurances that the trip will be safe, Exxon officials announced Monday that they intend to tow to San Diego next month the oil tanker that ran aground off the Alaskan coast in March, causing the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. Exxon Shipping Co. President Frank J. Iarossi said the Exxon Valdez will be brought from Alaska to undergo $25 million in repairs at the National Steel & Shipbuilding Co. yard on San Diego Bay where the Valdez was built in 1986. Nassco President Richard Vortmann said the job will take about nine months and will create 300 new jobs at the shipyard.

Workers are expected to repair an area in the ship's hull 700 feet long and 100 feet wide, Iarossi said, which will require 3,000 tons of steel, about 10% of the ship's total steel weight. Acknowledging the environmental concerns caused by the ship that spilled 11 million gallons of oil when it struck a reef and polluted about 730 miles of shoreline in pristine Prince William Sound, Iarossi went to unusual lengths to offer assurances that the Valdez is now "environmentally safe." 'Truly Sorry' Iarossi began a press conference by saying that "we at Exxon are truly sorry for the circumstances that led to today's announcement." He said that both the outside and inside of the ship have been cleaned and all remaining oil removed from the tanks, clearing the way for towing of the ship to the Nassco yard. "In the past two months, we have been very active in clearing the oil residue from the tanks and exterior of the vessel," said Iarossi, who said that the Coast Guard has inspected the ship and certified that there is no oil in the tanks.

Petty Officer Bill Ball, Coast Guard spokesman in Valdez, said that the ship's tanks "are fairly clean" and added that Coast Guard officials are currently reviewing Exxon's request for a permit to tow the vessel to San Diego. 'Safe Transit' "We have not approved a permit for the vessel to proceed just yet. . . . We're concerned that there is a safe transit with no chance for pollution," Ball said. Company officials said they expect to get towing approval later this month, and it will take four tugs about 20 days to tow the Valdez during the 2,500-mile trip. The tugs will follow a course that will keep the Valdez at least 100 miles offshore, Iarossi said. The Valdez will not fire up its engines during the trip, he added. In Anchorage, meanwhile, the former captain of the Exxon Valdez pleaded innocent Monday to Alaska felony charges of criminal mischief stemming from the spill. If convicted on all three counts of second-degree criminal mischief, Joseph Hazelwood could face up to 15 years in jail and $150,000 in fines.

MORE: Oil Spill Facts - Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Final Report, Alaska Oil Spill Commission Published February 1990 by the State of Alaska The following is a reprint of the text from pages 5-14. Graphics are not included. No one anticipated any unusual problems as the Exxon Valdez left the Alyeska Pipeline Terminal at 9:12 p.m., Alaska Standard Time, on March 23,1989. The 987 foot ship, second newest in Exxon Shipping Company's 20-tanker fleet, was loaded with 53,094,5 10 gallons (1,264,155 barrels) of North Slope crude oil bound for Long Beach, California. Tankers carrying North Slope crude oil had safely transited Prince William Sound more than 8,700 times in the 12 years since oil began flowing through the trans-Alaska pipeline, with no major disasters and few serious incidents. This experience gave little reason to suspect impending disaster.

Yet less than three hours later, the Exxon Valdez grounded at Bligh Reef, rupturing eight of its 11 cargo tanks and spewing some 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. Until the Exxon Valdez piled onto Bligh Reef, the system designed to carry 2 million barrels of North Slope oil to West Coast and Gulf Coast markets daily had worked perhaps too well. At least partly because of the success of the Valdez tanker trade, a general complacency had come to permeate the operation and oversight of the entire system. That complacency and success were shattered when the Exxon Valdez ran hard aground shortly after midnight on March 24. No human lives were lost as a direct result of the disaster, though four deaths were associated with the cleanup effort. Indirectly, however, the human and natural losses were immense - to fisheries, subsistence livelihoods, tourism, wildlife. The most important loss for many who will never visit Prince William Sound was the aesthetic sense that something sacred in the relatively unspoiled land and waters of Alaska had been defiled.

Industry's insistence on regulating the Valdez tanker trade its own way, and government's incremental accession to industry pressure, had produced a disastrous failure of the system. The people of Alaska's Southcentral coast - not to mention Exxon and the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - would come to pay a heavy price. The American people, increasingly anxious over environmental degradation and devoted to their image of Alaska's wilderness, reacted with anger. A spill that ranked 34th on a list of the world's largest oil spills in the past 25 years came to be seen as the nation's biggest environmental disaster since Three Mile Island. The Exxon Valdez had reached the Alyeska Marine Terminal at 11:30 p.m. on March 22 to take on cargo. It carried a crew of 19 plus the captain. Third Mate Gregory Cousins, who became a central figure in the grounding, was relieved of watch duty at 11:50 p.m. Ship and terminal crews began loading crude oil onto the tanker at 5:05 a.m. on March 23 and increased loading to its full rate of 100,000 barrels an hour by 5:30 a.m.

Chief Mate James R. Kunkel supervised the loading. March 23, 1989 was a rest day of sorts for some members of the Exxon Valdez crew. Capt. Joseph Hazelwood, chief engineer Jerry Glowacki and radio officer Joel Roberson left the Exxon Valdez about 11:00 a.m., driven from the Alyeska terminal into the town of Valdez by marine pilot William Murphy, who had piloted the Exxon Valdez into port the previous night and would take it back out through Valdez Narrows on its fateful trip to Bligh Reef. When the three ship's officers left the terminal that day, they expected the Exxon Valdez's sailing time to be 10 p.m. that evening. The posted sailing time was changed, however, during the day, and when the party arrived back at the ship at 8:24 p.m., they learned the sailing time had been fixed at 9 p.m. Hazelwood spent most of the day conducting ship's business, shopping and, according to testimony before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), drinking alcoholic beverages with the other ship's officers in at least two Valdez bars.

Testimony indicated Hazelwood drank nonalcoholic beverages that day at lunch, a number of alcoholic drinks late that afternoon while relaxing in a Valdez bar, and at least one more drink at a bar while the party waited for pizza to take with them back to the ship. Loading of the Exxon Valdez had been completed for an hour by the time the group returned to the ship. They left Valdez by taxi cab at about 7:30 p.m., got through Alyeska terminal gate security at 8:24 p.m. and boarded ship. Radio officer Roberson, who commenced pre-voyage tests and checks in the radio room soon after arriving at the ship, later said no one in the group going ashore had expected the ship to be ready to leave as soon as they returned. Both the cab driver and the gate security guard later testified that no one in the party appeared to be intoxicated. A ship's agent who met with Hazelwood after he got back on the ship said it appeared the captain may have been drinking because his eyes were watery, but she did not smell alcohol on his breath. Ship's pilot Murphy, however, later indicated that he did detect the odor of alcohol on Hazelwood's breath.

Hazelwood's activities in town that day and on the ship that night would become a key focus of accident inquiries, the cause of a state criminal prosecution, and the basis of widespread media sensation. Without intending to minimize the impact of Hazelwood's actions, however, one basic conclusion of this report is that the grounding at Bligh Reef represents much more than the error of a possibly drunken skipper: It was the result of the gradual degradation of oversight and safety practices that had been intended, 12 years before, to safeguard and backstop the inevitable mistakes of human beings. Third Mate Cousins performed required tests of navigational, mechanical and safety gear at 7:48 p.m., and all systems were found to be in working order. The Exxon Valdez slipped its last mooring line at 9:12 p.m. and, with the assistance of two tugboats, began maneuvering away from the berth. The tanker's deck log shows it was clear of the dock at 9:21 p.m. Dock to grounding The ship was under the direction of pilot Murphy and accompanied by a single tug for the passage through Valdez Narrows, the constricted harbor entrance about 7 miles from the berth.

According to Murphy, Hazelwood left the bridge at 9:35 p.m. and did not return until about 11:10 p.m., even though Exxon company policy requires two ship's officers on the bridge during transit of Valdez Narrows. The passage through Valdez Narrows proceeded uneventfully. At 10:49 p.m. the ship reported to the Valdez Vessel Traffic Center that it had passed out of the narrows and was increasing speed. At 11:05 p.m. Murphy asked that Hazelwood be called to the bridge in anticipation of his disembarking from the ship, and at 11: 10 p.m. Hazelwood returned. Murphy disembarked at 11:24 p.m., with assistance from Third Mate Cousins. While Cousins was helping Murphy and then helping stow the pilot ladder, Hazelwood was the only officer on the bridge and there was no lookout even though one was required, according to an NTSB report. At 11:25 p.m. Hazelwood informed the Vessel Traffic Center that the pilot had departed and that he was increasing speed to sea speed.

He also reported that "judging, ah, by our radar, we'll probably divert from the TSS [traffic separation scheme] and end up in the inbound lane if there is no conflicting traffic." The traffic center indicated concurrence, stating there was no reported traffic in the inbound lane. The traffic separation scheme is designed to do just that - separate incoming and outgoing tankers in Prince William Sound and keep them in clear, deep waters during their transit. It consists of inbound and outbound lanes, with a half-mile-wide separation zone between them. Small icebergs from nearby Columbia Glacier occasionally enter the traffic lanes. Captains had the choice of slowing down to push through them safely or deviating from their lanes if traffic permitted. Hazelwood's report, and the Valdez traffic center's concurrence, meant the ship would change course to leave the western, outbound lane, cross the separation zone and, if necessary, enter the eastern, inbound lane to avoid floating ice. At no time did the Exxon Valdez report or seek permission to depart farther east from the inbound traffic lane; but that is exactly what it did. At 11:30 p.m.

Hazelwood informed the Valdez traffic center that he was turning the ship toward the east on a heading of 200 degrees and reducing speed to "wind my way through the ice" (engine logs, however, show the vessel's speed continued to increase). At 11: 39 Cousins plotted a fix that showed the ship in the middle of the traffic separation scheme. Hazelwood ordered a further course change to a heading of 180 degrees (due south) and, according to the helmsman, directed that the ship be placed on autopilot. The second course change was not reported to the Valdez traffic center. For a total of 19 or 20 minutes the ship sailed south - through the inbound traffic lane, then across its easterly boundary and on toward its peril at Bligh Reef. Traveling at approximately 12 knots, the Exxon Valdez crossed the traffic lanes' easterly boundary at 11:47 p.m. At 11:52 p.m.

the command was given to place the ship's engine on "load program up"-a computer program that, over a span of 43 minutes, would increase engine speed from 55 RPM to sea speed full ahead at 78.7 RPM. After conferring with Cousins about where and how to return the ship to its designated traffic lane, Hazelwood left the bridge. The time, according to NTSB testimony, was approximately 11:53 p.m. By this time Third Mate Cousins had been on duty for six hours and was scheduled to be relieved by Second Mate Lloyd LeCain. But Cousins, knowing LeCain had worked long hours during loading operations during the day, had told the second mate he could take his time in relieving him. Cousins did not call LeCain to awaken him for the midnight-to-4-a.m. watch, instead remaining on duty himself Cousins was the only officer on the bridge - a situation that violated company policy and perhaps contributed to the accident. A second officer on the bridge might have been more alert to the danger in the ship's position, the failure of its efforts to turn, the autopilot steering status, and the threat of ice in the tanker lane.

Cousins' duty hours and rest periods became an issue in subsequent investigations. Exxon Shipping Company has said the third mate slept between I a.m. and 7:20 a.m. the morning of March 23 and again between 1: 30 p.m. and 5 p.m., for a total of nearly 10 hours sleep in the 24 hours preceding the accident. But testimony before the NTSB suggests that Cousins "pounded the deck" that afternoon, that he did paperwork in his cabin, and that he ate dinner starting at 4:30 p.m. before relieving the chief mate at 5 p.m. An NTSB report shows that Cousins' customary in-port watches were scheduled from 5:50 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. and again from 5:50 p.m. to 11:50 p.m. Testimony before the NTSB suggests that Cousins may have been awake and generally at work for up to 18 hours preceding the accident.

Appendix F of this report documents a direct link between fatigue and human performance error generally and notes that 80 percent or more of marine accidents are attributable to human error. Appendix F also discusses the impact of environmental factors such as long work hours, poor work conditions (such as toxic fumes), monotony and sleep deprivation. "This can create a scenario where a pilot and/or crew members may become the "accident waiting to happen." ... It is conceivable," the report continues, "that excessive work hours (sleep deprivation) contributed to an overall impact of fatigue, which in turn contributed to the Exxon Valdez grounding." Manning policies also may have affected crew fatigue. Whereas tankers in the 1950s carried a crew of 40 to 42 to manage about 6.3 million gallons of oil, according to Arthur McKenzie of the Tanker Advisory Center in New York, the Exxon Valdez carried a crew of 19 to transport 53 million gallons of oil. Minimum vessel manning limits are set by the U.S. Coast Guard, but without any agencywide standard for policy.

The Coast Guard has certified Exxon tankers for a minimum of 15 persons (14 if the radio officer is not required). Frank Iarossi, president of Exxon Shipping Company, has stated that his company's policy is to reduce its standard crew complement to 16 on fully automated, diesel-powered vessels by 1990. "While Exxon has defended their actions as an economic decision," the manning report says, "criticism has been leveled against them for manipulating overtime records to better justify reduced manning levels." Iarossi and Exxon maintain that modem automated vessel technology permits reduced manning without compromise of safety or function. "Yet the literature on the subject suggests that automation does not replace humans in systems, rather, it places the human in a different, more demanding role. Automation typically reduces manual workload but increases mental workload." (Appendix F) Whatever the NTSB or the courts may finally determine concerning Cousins' work hours that day, manning limits and crew fatigue have received considerable attention as contributing factors to the accident.

The Alaska Oil Spill Commission recommends that crew levels be set high enough not only to permit safe operations during ordinary conditions - which, in the Gulf of Alaska, can be highly demanding - but also to provide enough crew backups and rest periods that crisis situations can be confronted by a fresh, well-supported crew. Accounts and interpretations differ as to events on the bridge from the time Hazelwood left his post to the moment the Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef. NTSB testimony by crew members and interpretations of evidence by the State of Alaska conflict in key areas, leaving the precise timing of events still a mystery. But the rough outlines are discernible: Some time during the critical period before the grounding during the first few minutes of Good Friday, March 24, Cousins plotted a fix indicating it was time to turn the vessel back toward the traffic lanes. About the same time, lookout Maureen Jones reported that Bligh Reef light appeared broad off the starboard bow - i.e., off the bow at an angle of about 45 degrees.

The light should have been seen off the port side (the left side of a ship, facing forward); its position off the starboard side indicated great peril for a supertanker that was out of its lanes and accelerating through close waters. Cousins gave right rudder commands to cause the desired course change and took the ship off autopilot. He also phoned Hazelwood in his cabin to inform him the ship was turning back toward the traffic lanes and that, in the process, it would be getting into ice. When the vessel did not turn swiftly enough, Cousins ordered further right rudder with increasing urgency. Finally, realizing the ship was in serious trouble, Cousins phoned Hazelwood again to report the danger - and at the end of the conversation, felt an initial shock to the vessel. The grounding, described by helmsman Robert Kagan as "a bumpy ride" and by Cousins as six "very sharp jolts," occurred at 12:04 a.m. On the rocks The vessel came to rest facing roughly southwest, perched across its middle on a pinnacle of Bligh Reef. Eight of 11 cargo tanks were punctured.

Computations aboard the Exxon Valdez showed that 5.8 million gallons had gushed out of the tanker in the first three and a quarter hours. Weather conditions at the site were, reported to be 33 degrees F, slight drizzle rain/snow mixed, north winds at 10 knots and visibility 10 miles at the time of the grounding. The Exxon Valdez nightmare had begun. Hazelwood - perhaps drunk, certainly facing a position of great difficulty and confusion - would struggle vainly to power the ship off its perch on Bligh Reef. The response capabilities of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company to deal with the spreading sea of oil would be tested and found to be both unexpectedly slow and woefully inadequate. The worldwide capabilities of Exxon Corp. would mobilize huge quantities of equipment and personnel to respond to the spill - but not in the crucial first few hours and days when containment and cleanup efforts are at a premium. The U.S. Coast Guard would demonstrate its prowess at ship salvage, protecting crews and lightering operations, but prove utterly incapable of oil spill containment and response. State and federal agencies would show differing levels of preparedness and command capability.

And the waters of Prince William Sound - and eventually more than 1,000 miles of beach in Southcentral Alaska - would be fouled by 10.8 million gallons of crude oil. After feeling the grounding Hazelwood rushed to the bridge, arriving as the ship came to rest. He immediately gave a series of rudder orders in an attempt to free the vessel, and power to the ship's engine remained in the "load program up" condition for about 15 minutes after impact. Chief Mate Kunkel went to the engine control room and determined that eight cargo tanks and two ballast tanks had been ruptured; he concluded the cargo tanks had lost an average of 10 feet of cargo, with approximately 67 feet of cargo remaining in each. He informed Hazelwood of his initial damage assessment and was instructed to perform stability and stress analysis. At 12:19 a.m. Hazelwood ordered that the vessel's engine be reduced to idle speed. At 12:26 a.m., Hazelwood radioed the Valdez traffic center and reported his predicament to Bruce Blandford, a civilian employee of the Coast Guard who was on duty.

"We've fetched up, ah, hard aground, north of Goose Island, off Bligh Reef and, ah, evidently leaking some oil and we're gonna be here for a while and, ah, if you want, ah, so you're notified." That report triggered a nightlong cascade of phone calls reaching from Valdez to Anchorage to Houston and eventually around the world as the magnitude of the spill became known and Alyeska and Exxon searched for cleanup machinery and materials. Hazelwood, meanwhile, was not finished with efforts to power the Exxon Valdez off the reef. At approximately 12:30 a.m., Chief Mate Kunkel used a computer program to determine that though stress on the vessel exceeded acceptable limits, the ship still had required stability. He went to the bridge to advise Hazelwood that the vessel should not go to sea or leave the area. The skipper directed him to return to the control room to continue assessing the damage and to determine available options. At 12:35 p.m., Hazelwood ordered the engine back on - and eventually to "full ahead" -- and began another series of rudder commands in an effort to free the vessel.

After running his computer program again another way, Kunkel concluded that the ship did not have acceptable stability without being supported by the reef. The chief mate relayed his new analysis to the captain at 1 a.m. and again recommended that the ship not leave the area. Nonetheless, Hazelwood kept the engine running until 1:41 a.m., when he finally abandoned efforts to get the vessel off the reef. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council | dfg.evos.restoration@alaska.gov | Postal Address: 4210 University Drive Anchorage, AK 99508-4626 | Physical Address: Grace Hall, 4230 University Drive, Ste.

220 | Anchorage, AK 99508-4650 | Phone: (907) 278-8012 | Fax: (907) 276-7178 | Toll-Free: (800) 478-7745 | Office Hours: Mon through Fri, 8am-4:30pm ARLIS | Alaska Resources Library & Information Services | reference@arlis.org | UAA Library Building | Phone: (907) 272-7547 Restoring the resources injured by the Exxon Valdez oil spill and understanding environmental change in the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

Question: What was the name of the oil tanker that ran aground in PrinceWilliam Sound off the Alaskan coast in 1989?
Answer: EXXON VALDEZ